What do Bangor & Pen Argyl have in common with Wales & Cornwall?

 

For the last 33 years, I’ve lived in Palmer Township, PA, and raised 3 children through the Easton Area School District. My husband is also an Easton Area High School graduate. I definitely consider myself an Easton Red Rover fan. Since 2010, I even have an Easton Red Rover license plate on the front of my red vehicle that should probably be replaced but I refuse until it completely falls off!  However, the real truth about me is I am an import to Palmer Township. I am a native of Green Knight territory and a Pen Argylite with Cornish and Welsh roots and my heart will always bleed green.  This year, on October 31, 2026, Bangor Area High School and Pen Argyl Area High School will meet for their 107^th football game. Both of these schools can trace their unique rivalry across the Atlantic.

 Cornwall and Wales was originally home to many native Bangor and Pen Argyl residents.  Bangor had a higher population of Welsh while Pen Argyl had the higher population of Cornish. But how did these two areas of the world come together to create two small towns in Pennsylvania? In 1874, Cornwall and Wales were undergoing a financial depression.  It was during this time that my family and many other Cornish and Welsh families made the difficult decision to leave Cornwall and Wales and head for the slate quarries in Pen Argyl and Bangor, Pennsylvania. Both Bangor and Pen Argyl were founded on the slate industry.  Bangor was incorporated in 1875 and Pen Argyl in 1882. At their closest point, Cornwall and Wales are about 30 to 50 miles apart by water. 

Bangor and Pen Argyl are separated by about 2.9 land miles along PA-512N for a total of about 7 minutes of driving.

Cornwall and Wales are both part of the Celtic Nation. They share a bond of language, shared history, and friendly competition over sports.  Similarly, so do Bangor and Pen Argyl.  Newly arrived immigrants from Cornwall and Wales worked side by side with each other in the slate quarries of both Bangor & Pen Argyl and shared lunches of pasties. 

Traditional pasty can be filled with meats, vegetables, or even fruit. 

Many families from both Bangor and Pen Argyl have connections in both boroughs.  I grew up in a household with a mom from Bangor and a dad from Pen Argyl.  In our family, the Bangor and Pen Argyl football game was the pinnacle of the year.  I distinctly remember one year during my childhood that Pen Argyl lost to Bangor. Many of my family members were from Bangor and I had to endure a lot of ridicule following this particular game.  One of my uncles went as far as to be sure that when I woke up the following morning after the Pen Argyl loss that I was greeted with a pie and a sympathy card. 

 In researching the Pen Argyl Centennial Book titled Ring the Bells for Olde Pen Argyl 1882-1982, I came across this particular story: 

 “Prior to the famous 1937 Bangor-Pen Argyl football game, this appeared in the Express – Up in the Slate Belt they surely take their schoolboy football seriously.  One Pen Argyl rooter writes this space to say that he is willing to wager his home, containing all improvements and a two-car garage, that Pen Argyl will win. The house has electric lights, all improvements, bath and six rooms.  It is located two blocks from the center of town and is near to church and school.  I promise if I lose to vacate two hours after the game. I believe Pen Argyl will outplay Bangor and win the game. But he forgot to tell us who he is. Pen Argyl won 6-0 that year.”

 The week leading up to the Bangor vs Pen Argyl game is filled with bonfires, community dinners, spirit weeks in the schools, and town decorations.  Currently, Pen Argyl leads the series 53-49-4.  This year’s game will be played Saturday, October 31, 2026, in Pen Argyl, PA, at Alumni Stadium at 1:30 pm.  

Marx Room Presents...

 

MARX ROOM PRESENTS…

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

 

A Strasbourger in America

John Frederick Ernst, Minister of the Gospel, Lutheran Denomination (1748-1805)

By Edith von Zemenszkym Ph.D. & Mary A. Redline, M.A.

This book presents the diary, history, and records of Rev. Ernst as he journeys from Strasbourg, Germany, to colonial America. It traces his experiences from his arrival in Philadelphia to his ministry in the rural communities of Easton, Pennsylvania, and Sussex County (now Warren County), New Jersey. Through his letters and diary entries, readers gain a vivid glimpse into the daily life of a colonial pastor and the people and places of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and Warren County, New Jersey. They also reveal his frequent struggles with his congregations and with those he referred to as the “half savages.”

As you will read in Rev. Ernst’s own words, his life was marked by misunderstandings and controversies. His remarkable journey came to an end in Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he died in November 1805.

This fabulous book can be found in the Marx Local History Room or can be bought at the Lutheran Archives in Philadelphia for a mere $5.00.

Accolades to the Marx Room

Accolades to the Marx Room 

Walking into the Marx Room is a journey through time. The preservation of so many important records from our area, including those from before the Revolutionary War to present day. These records are from churches that no longer stand, cemeteries where the history is being lost and personal histories of those who have come before us in this area.

Luckily, we have been gifted an opportunity to see into the history of Easton through individuals who had the foresight to document these records. They took the initiative to seek out and create these records from various sources for the benefit of future generations. Because of their contributions, the community can see the growth from a small town to one that stands today. One of three towns that had the Declaration of Independence read here and an American flag that may have flown overhead can be found in the Marx Room. Irreplaceable items, records & stories from the beginning of our new nation, the town of Easton and surrounding areas can be found here.

Those who enter looking for these stories, records and artifacts are amazed at what has been preserved. Treasures found in this room tell of the ancestors who came before us, their struggles, those they married and the families they raised that led to us being here.

The Marx Room is a living gift to the community, sharing a wealth of information, histories and stories that would otherwise have been lost to time. We are grateful for the dedication of those, past and present, who have preserved the history of our community for future generations.

Carol Hoff

 

The histories of Easton, Northampton County and the Lehigh Valley have been preserved in Easton Public Library  Marx Room's collections of books, maps, church records, municipal documents and photographs.Local and national researchers have been fortunate to find important clues and artifacts in these collections which are well organized and free to examine in their original form.

The collections are so extensive that many local historians visit the Marx Room as their first step when searching for evidence relating to the subject they are pursuing.The staff at the Marx Room provides expert guidance to both a novice and a seasoned researcher that streamlines the time needed to find pertinent information.

No other historical resource in the Lehigh Valley matches the content and expertise provided by the Marx Room with the availability that meets the tight time schedules of local residents or visitors from other area.We are very lucky to have the Marx Room' s treasure trove of information within a short drive from anywhere in the Lehigh Valley.

 ~Joel Hoffner~

 

Reflecting upon the importance of the Marx Room brings back many memories. These date back well over 60 years and my early visits to the second floor of the library and an introduction to Mrs. Jane Moyer. My how some things have changed yet there are still many constants.

The Marx Room has always been and hopefully will continue to be a real gem in the rich historical crown of Easton and Northampton County. The size and scope of the collection is amazing considering the population of the city and surrounding area. This is a testament to the recognition of our rich local history by the previous administrations. These earlier leaders realized the value and need for the preservation of the collection and the education of the local citizens, students and researchers.

Having provided professional local historical and genealogical research for more than 25 years, I have become familiar with many research libraries and historical societies. Easton can be very proud of what they provide in the Marx Room. This includes some unique offerings i.e.; many topic specific vertical files, photograph files, church and cemetery records, donated family records, indexed newspapers etc.

It must also be noted that a collection of this sort is only as good as the staff managing the shelves, drawers and displays. What good is a fantastic collection if a patron’s request cannot be successfully addressed and the answer found? The Marx Room has been blessed with knowledgeable attendants from Ms. Moyer through the present staff. Because of my confidence in the staff’s knowledge and ability, I have always advised clients to make the Marx Room their first choice for local history research in this area.

As we continue to move further into the digital new world, now including Artificial Intelligence, the relevance and uniqueness of our hardcopy physical collections should not be lost. Some collection items may never be digitized and found on-line. AND, how do you compare the experience of viewing a 200+ year old flag on a computer monitor versus seeing the physical flag within arm’s length? Can you equate a screen image of a century’s old document versus holding the actual document in your hand; a document possibly with the original signature of a direct ancestor?

Hopefully we can keep the Marx Room alive and thriving. Promoting the collection through our schools and communities is of utmost importance. In the past 300 years many families have passed through our area and are now dispersed throughout the country. They have roots and stories yet to be found in the Marx Room. Promote it and keep it accessible.

Regards,

R. A. Musselman

It’s been more than two decades since I first found the Marx Room. Ginny and I had retired to the area, in large part because of Easton’s general reputation for historical importance, supported by its historic architecture. I soon discovered that, at that time, Easton didn’t have a modern, footnoted history, or detailed research into many of its historic buildings. Ginny basically told me to stop complaining, and (if I wanted some detailed Easton history), to do the research myself. And so, I did.

The Marx Room and its staff provided the indispensable central repository of resources, the knowledge of other local repositories, and the encouragement that I needed to begin this project, and to organize my findings ever since. While other repositories provided specialized court or land records, or some family history items that supplement the Marx Room’s impressive collection, nothing was as useful in linking and making sense of raw data as the Marx Room’s huge repository of local historical books and articles, family genealogical research and oral histories, old newspapers, street directories, maps, and other local history materials. Perhaps more importantly, no organization’s staff in the area was as broadly knowledgeable and consistently willing to help. Without the Marx Room, my overall contributions would probably never have progressed.

Accordingly, the results of my research have been added to the Marx Room collections over the years, and the books of other researchers have also been added to further enrich the library’s collection. I know that the community of researchers have actively encouraged each other to make their books and research work available to future generations, through the Marx Room. In addition, the Marx Room has also received specialized items such as the map containing the Penn Family clerks’s notes on early Easton property-occupiers; indices of various collections such as The Irregular; and a set of research forms and instructions (’tools’) on how to research the history of a house or building in Easton; all of which may provide help to researchers. Finally, I cannot stress enough the importance of the Marx Room’s staff as an indispensable resource in this area.

For all these reasons, I would strongly recommend that anyone who wants to do historical research about Easton or the general area, should begin at the Marx Room.

Richard F. Hope